By Arnold Tutu
The National Forensic Authority –NFA- has begun inspections of forensic pathology facilities and crime scene units across Lusaka Province.
The exercise was confirmed when NFA Executive Director, Brigadier General Professor LAWSON SIMAPUKA, paid a courtesy call on the Lusaka Provincial Administration.
The inspections, running from 16 to 27 March 2026, aim to identify areas for improvement and ensure compliance with forensic standards.
Professor SIMAPUKA said the initiative seeks to standardise procedures that were previously fragmented.
“The purpose is to ensure correct procedures and practices are consistently applied,” he said, adding that a Forensic Research Ethical Committee is being established to strengthen the operations of the NFA and improve the criminal justice system.
Professor SIMAPUKA also noted that the NFA reduces reliance on foreign expertise, covering services such as ballistic testing and fingerprint digitalisation.
Established under the National Forensic Act No. 2 of 2020, the NFA is Zambia’s sole statutory regulator for forensic science and pathology.
Operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, it licences service providers, sets quality standards, and promotes integrity across forensic disciplines, including DNA analysis, digital multimedia forensics, toxicology, fingerprints, and firearms examinations.
Lusaka Provincial Administration Permanent Secretary, JOE KALUSA, urged the NFA to raise awareness of its operations so that Zambians understand and appreciate the services provided.
“The establishment of the NFA shows our country is developing, but people should know what you do. We will give you our full support,” he said.
The first-ever forensic DNA laboratory in Zambia was commissioned at Levy Mwanawasa Medical University in Lusaka in May 2024.
This is according to a statement issued to ZNBC news by Lusaka province Principal Public Relations Officer LOGIC LUKWANDA.
